
By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
NANTICOKE—Haldimand Council will seek public input on whether to withdraw its Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) request related to a proposed new community in Nanticoke following a lively Council session with a line-up of speakers supporting Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley’s motion on the matter.
Bentley spoke first, “It’s been a year since this matter was considered by the previous Council. No Provincial decision has been made and staff have been advised that they will not be making its decision without further indication from our County Council in terms of supporting or not supporting the previous request.”
Bentley asserted that a lot has changed since the original MZO request, namely two elections that centred on the topic and saw both Bentley and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady take office with a clear opposition to the Nanticoke proposal.
“My sense is that when the original MZO decision was made, there were many in the community that were unaware of the proposal, and that opportunities to engage in this discussion were limited. The Council of the day made its decision based on the information available at that time,” said Bentley.
“Nearly two-thirds of the mayoral votes were for someone who did not support it,” said Bentley.
She added that Bill 23, the More Homes, Built Faster Act, puts into question whether rapid growth will have a positive effect on the community, noting that a proposed regional sewage treatment facility in Nanticoke that would service both existing residents and the new community has been determined to be “cost prohibitive for existing rate payers.”
Trevor Harris, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Stelco, spoke next. Stelco’s Nanticoke facility employs 1,300 people and has been a vocal opponent of the Nanticoke proposal since the beginning.
“We called for consultations to take place prior to an MZO being ordered to ensure Council was making a fully informed decision that reflected the will of residents and businesses in the community,” said Harris. “Since March 2022 there have been a number of significant changes to the landscape that further warrant a pause in this process.”
Chief among those reasons, “Despite what Council was told a year ago, the matter of the ownership of the lands and title remains in question before the courts.”
Harris confirmed that Stelco has not changed their opinion on the matter, with the company conducting their own third-party research to gauge public opinion. The poll saw 328 Haldimand residents reply between December 6-12, 2022. According to details provided by Harris, of the 73% of respondents who were aware of the proposal, the majority were opposed to it “in its current form.”
“The development is simply not well-liked in the opinion of the researchers who did the polling for us,” said Harris. “69% said that it impacted their view in the last municipal election, and that councillors’ decisions going forward would impact future votes.… Not only do we believe there is a definitive need for further consultation on this matter, we think this Council has a responsibility to make sure that they get this decision correct.”
Next, MPP Bobbi Ann Brady spoke, highlighting concerns from mayors across Ontario related to Bill 23.
“All but one mayor we have heard from across the province has concerns,” said Brady. “Mayors across Ontario have said that Ontario’s new law that eliminates or reduces some development fees to municipalities will force them to raise property taxes to pay for infrastructure that supports new housing. Bill 23 will cost the city of Mississauga $885 million over 10 years in development charges to new parks. That is equal to losing 20% of their capital budget.”
Brady echoed Harris, urging Council to press pause: “People have a lot of questions about this proposal. Empire said they would consult before building. The passing of this motion would give Empire, as well as Council, both the opportunity to go out there and speak with taxpayers.”
She concluded, “As I see it, the proposal of this development has been backwards from day one. In my opinion, you first consult, you then develop a workable plan, and then you execute that plan. If a pause is pressed, you will be able to start over and work from the consultation through to the plan that may or may not be executed.”
Randy Graham, President of United Steel Workers Local 8782, said that the various levels of government in Canada need to stick to the democratic principles that govern them: “If we allow those folks to voice those opinions or concerns, this only serves to make the decision-making process successful. I think it offers insight to Council, certainly on how your constituents, the very folks who put you here, are thinking.”
He continued, “This is a very, very large decision that is going to affect not just Haldimand County, it’s going to affect many municipalities around you. I think that’s important that the public has a say.”
Other speakers included pastor Wesley DeVries of Sweets Corners Christian Church, who noted that with his home butting up against the proposed new community he felt his voice, and others in the community, were not considered in the initial MZO request.
Following the speakers, Councillor Patrick O’Neill suggested doing public consultations at Council, due to the convenience of options available in Council chambers like streaming video, access to qualified people to speak on the topic, and a reduced expense to the County. County staff will consider the request as they plan for the consultations.
Councillor Rob Shirton demanded a timeline for the process: “We should be able to deal with this before the middle of April. I want a deadline as far as timing.”
County staff will prepare a report on the public consultation process to be presented for discussion at a future Council-in-committee meeting.